S.O.S.- Save our Shells!

Graduate Fellow Katherine Hanson & Teacher Partner Rachel Stein

Ocean acidification, a phenomenon related to current global climate change, is becoming a major threat to marine ecosystems ranging from tropical coral reefs to the chilly waters of the Antarctic. In this lesson, students observe and investigate the mechanisms driving ocean acidification. The lesson and lab make connections to basic chemical principles such as acids/bases and the pH scale.

Details

In the first activity, video footage from current oceanographic research is used to assess students’ prior knowledge and develop testable hypotheses from initial observations. In the second and third activities, hypotheses generated by students are tested in student-led experiments conducted in a small group setting. The lesson includes a short lecture and class discussion of ocean acidification at the global scale.

Activity

Grade Level: 9-12

Duration: 2-3 days (50 min. class periods)

Day 1 = review of acid/base chemistry and pH scale (if needed, materials not provided)
Day 2 = Activity 1 & Activity 2
Day 3 = Activity 3 & class discussion

Learning Objectives:

1. Generate hypotheses from observations; refine initial hypotheses into testable hypotheses (Activity 1)
2. Devise simple experiments to test hypotheses generated from observations. (Activity 2)
3. Explain the basic principles behind the phenomenon of ‘ocean acidification’ (Lecture & Class Exploration)
4. Describe the relationship between carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere and in the oceans and understand that the two carbon reservoirs interact. (Lecture & Class Exploration)
5. Describe changes in the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere and oceans over the previous 100 years. (Lecture & Class Exploration)
6. Understand the phrases “calcifying organisms” and “marine calcifiers”. (Lecture & Class Exploration)
7. Describe and generate hypotheses regarding the effects of ocean acidification on calcifying marine organisms and marine communities. (Activity 3, Group Discussion & Post-Lab Assessment)

Video